


We Only Get Better

by supersapphics



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, M/M, Proposals, hints of immortal alec, soft fiancés
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 08:32:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16426001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supersapphics/pseuds/supersapphics
Summary: On his and Magnus' one-year anniversary, Alec has everything planned just right.





	We Only Get Better

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote the end of this fic (the proposal scene) like a full year ago, when we were still in the hiatus between seasons 2 & 3 (aka simpler times). Shortly afterward I lost inspiration to write the rest of it (aka the entire beginning & middle), until a couple of weeks ago, when I was talking to Mara on Twitter and decided to share the proposal scene with her. Mara encouraged me to finish the fic and a few days ago I finally decided to do so.
> 
> I'm still not entirely happy with this (I like the proposal scene quite a bit but I'm not quite as fond of the beginning and middle), but whatever, I'm posting it anyway. Thanks to Mara for the encouragement and also thanks to Bri (carmenlire) for inspiring me to add some background Clizzy to this.
> 
> Title is from "Better" by SYML.

It’s a completely ordinary day when it happens.

Alec’s alarm goes off promptly at 5 A.M. Magnus burrows further into Alec’s side and mumbles something unintellilgble without actually waking up. Alec indulges in a few seconds of staring dreamily at his sleeping boyfriend before he drags himself out of bed and for an hour-long jog through the streets of Brooklyn.

When he returns to the loft, he enjoys a hot cup of coffee and an even hotter shower, gets dressed, and scribbles a note for Magnus, which he sticks on the fridge before leaving the apartment and heading for the Institute.

He’s behind his desk at precisely 7 A.M., opening his email with a yawn which turns into a groan when he sees how full his inbox is. Sighing, he gets to work sorting through his mail, signing reports, reviewing budgets, and attending various conference calls with other Institute Heads.

He enjoys the work, dull as it may seem, because he knows it is making a difference, though it doesn’t often seem like it. Still, he appreciates the interruption he receives at around 10 A.M., which arrives in the form of a text from Magnus.

 **Magnus:** _Good morning darling. I hope you’re not buried underneath a mountain of paperwork right now. Thank you for the note you left me this morning. It was a nice surprise to find._

 **Alec:** _It wasn’t much. I just don’t like leaving you without saying goodbye, even if you are asleep._

 **Alec:** _And it’s not a mountain. Maybe a hill. I’ll have it cleared by late afternoon._

 **Magnus:** _Don’t sell yourself short, Alexander. It was a beautiful note. And don’t think I won’t send Isabelle or Clary in to check on you. I have a team. It’s called “The Make Sure Alexander Eats Three Times a Day and Takes Breaks” team._

 

Alec laughs out loud at that. He’s well aware of Magnus’ “team”. He knows both Izzy and Clary care about him and would want to check in on him on their own, but he’s also not an idiot, and there’s only so many times he can hear one of them say “I was on my way here anyway when I got hungry and decided to stop by the kitchen, and they just _happened_ to be taking a tray of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven when I walked in”, before it becomes suspicious.

He suggests they meet for lunch, but Magnus unfortunately declines, explaining that he has back-to-back clients until five o’clock. Alec sends a picture of himself pouting, to which Magnus responds with a picture of himself blowing a kiss at the camera. They continue the conversation for another few minutes, but then Magnus really does have to go and meet his first client, and Alec, sighing, returns to his not-a-mountain of paperwork.

Soon he becomes engrossed in his work again, and before he knows it, he’s signing the very last field report in his pile. He checks the time. It’s only shortly after 5 P.M., and he still has 75 emails left in his inbox that he hasn’t answered yet. But it had been an incredibly busy day, and he’s tired, and he misses Magnus. The emails will still be there tomorrow. He only has to think about it for a second before he’s shutting off his computer and grabbing his jacket. When he opens his office door, he’s only slightly surprised to see Isabelle standing on the other side.

“Alec,” she starts, and then seems to notice him wearing his jacket. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Yep. Home. Unless something’s wrong?”

Her look of surprise intensifies. “Nope, nothing’s wrong. It’s just – you’ve never left this early. It’s only ten after five.”

“I miss Magnus,” he says simply, and apparently, no other explanation is necessary; Isabelle’s face breaks out into a big smile, and she stands on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Go. Clary and I will hold down the fort.”

He turns his head to press a kiss to her temple. “Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

She grins at him and literally gives him a little shove, like she thinks he’ll change his mind and return his office if she doesn’t get him out of here fast enough. “Yes you will, now go!”

The sun is still shining when he steps outside and activates his speed rune. He normally takes the subway back to the loft, as a way to relax before he gets home so he doesn’t bring the office home with him, but today he’s got an itch under his skin that he can’t describe, a desire to be around Magnus that feels even stronger than it normally does.

He walks through the front door of the loft a short time later and his gaze immediately zeroes in on Magnus, who’s curled up on the couch, reading a very thick, heavy-looking book that most likely isn’t in English (or any other language Alec will recognize, probably). Alec instantly calms at the sight of him. It’s not like he was having a particularly stressful day, nor does he feel more tired than normal – today was actually an incredibly quiet, calm day by all standards – yet still, at the sight of his boyfriend, Alec can practically feel the tension melt out of his shoulders, his posture relax, and a smile lift the corners of his mouth. He steps out of his shoes and moves forward.

Magnus senses him while he’s still a few feet away. “Alexander,” he says happily, and then he glances down at his watch before back up at Alec, visibly confused. “What are you doing home already? It’s only 5:30.”

Alec can understand Magnus’ confusion. He usually works a minimum of 12 hours a day, often longer, and in the entire year he and Magnus have been dating, Alec’s never arrived home earlier than 7:30.

“I missed you,” Alec says softly, because it’s the truth, and that’s the only explanation there is, really. He can allow himself to be spontaneous every once in awhile – he is the Head of the Institute, after all, and if he decides every now and then that he wants to fuck off after a mere 10-hour workday and go spend some quality time with his boyfriend – who is also a very busy man and whose schedule rarely coordinates with Alec’s – then that’s just how it’s going to be, and everyone else can deal. (Not that he thinks anyone else will have a problem with it. The Clave maybe, but now that Izzy knows Alec is willing to leave work so early, she’ll probably try to force him into it much more often in the future).

Magnus gets _that_ look on his face, the one that says he can’t believe how sweet Alec is being and whatever did he do to deserve it, a look that always makes Alec want to be even sweeter to him. He closes the remaining distance between them and bends to press a soft kiss to Magnus’ forehead, then tips Magnus’ face upward to kiss his mouth

 When Alec pulls away, Magnus’ eyes stay shut for several seconds before fluttering open slowly to meet Alec’s. They simply stare at each other for a beat, drinking each other in after a long day apart, before Alec’s gaze travels downward and he notices something.

“Is that my shirt?” It’s one of his favorites, actually, an oversized, washed out, long-sleeved gray T-shirt that he loved to wear when he and Magnus were relaxing together at home. He’d recognize it anywhere.

“It is,” Magnus confirms. “I got home and I missed you and you weren’t here, so. I thought wearing this might help.” And then, before Alec can respond to that, Magnus picks up a pink sticky note and tucks it inside his book to mark his place. Alec catches sight of his own handwriting on the paper before Magnus shuts the book and recognizes it as the note he’d left for Magnus that morning, the one that Magnus had referred to as beautiful earlier.

Alec really wasn’t sure what was so beautiful about it. All he’d written was, _Have a good day, babe. I wish I could’ve said goodbye to you in person, but you looked so peaceful and gorgeous while you were sleeping that I didn’t want to wake you. Love you and can’t wait to see you again tonight. Love, Alexander._

It wasn’t a big deal, really. He wrote Magnus notes like that all the time – not every single morning, because sometimes Magnus woke up at the same time he did to meet early-morning clients, but he did so every morning that Magnus was still asleep when he left. He watches Magnus shut the book and as he does, he notices that there are several pieces of pink paper sticking out of the top of the book.

“Are those my notes to you?” he asks. “Do you save them or something?”

Magnus runs his fingers slowly along the top of the book, his fingertips catching on the pink paper, before looking up at him. “Of course I do, darling. They’re sweet and I love them. And you know what else? You’re sweet, and I love you.” He sets the book aside and kneels up on the couch to kiss Alec properly.  

Alec settles his hands on Magnus’ waist and returns the kiss eagerly. He feels Magnus sigh happily into his mouth and raise his arms to wind them around Alec’s neck. As he does so, Alec reaches out to grab a fistful of Magnus’ shirt, which is when he remembers that it’s _his_ shirt – Magnus is wearing his shirt, and he saves Alec’s handwritten notes, and he was the first thing Alec saw when he got home. The first thing he saw when he woke up this morning. He’s what Alec yearns for the most, because even though Alec has him already, he never stops craving Magnus, never stops missing him when he isn’t there. He was the itch under Alec’s skin all day, what drove him to leave work and come home – the home they shared together – two hours early because he couldn’t stand to be away from him for a single second longer.

He pulls back from the kiss to stare at Magnus in amazement. _You’re everything I ever wanted,_ he thinks. _I want to be with you forever. I want to marry you._

They’ve talked about it before, a couple of times in passing, a few times in more serious conversation. They’ve been together for a year and have both agreed that there’s no rush, that they’ll get married when it feels right. Now it feels right.

“What is it?” Magnus asks softly, lifting his hand to place it over Alec’s where it’s still clenched around his shirt.

Alec almost blurts the question out right then but stops himself just in time. Magnus deserves a proper proposal, something planned and thought out, not something abrupt and impulsive. Alec shakes his head and says the first thing that comes to mind.“Since I’m home so early, we don’t have to eat dinner right away, do we?”

Magnus shrugs. “Not really. I’m not even hungry since we usually don’t eat until nearly 8:00.”

“Good,” says Alec simply, and kisses Magnus again. A few minutes later, Magnus tugs them both down onto the couch, and then neither of them resurface until well after 8:00.

 

**********

 

Keeping the question to himself nearly kills him, because as soon as he decides to do it, containing the joy he feels at the idea feels akin to his entire body being filled with radiant sunlight. If he’s extra affectionate with Magnus that night and the following morning, Magnus doesn’t seem to notice, perhaps because Alec is always loving with him. When he gives Magnus a deep, passionate goodbye kiss at the breakfast table and tells him he’ll be counting down the seconds until they can see each other again, Magnus giggles and kisses him back like he always does, but doesn’t question what’s gotten into him or why he’s behaving like this, so it must mean nothing seems out of the ordinary. Which is good, because Alec wants this to be a surprise. Proposals usually are, and while Alec certainly isn’t a traditional man 9 times out of 10, this is one situation where he is. He’d never dreamed he’d be able to have something like this, had always resigned himself to the role of watching enviously from the sidelines as everyone else in his life found their fairytale happy ending, but now that’s not the case anymore. He, Alec Lightwood, has found his own happy ending, and he’s going to make as big of a deal out of it as he possibly can. Because he can.

And for that, he needs help from Isabelle.

Although he has her work schedule memorized (as well as Jace’s and Clary’s), none of them start their shifts as early as he does, so all three of them very well might still be asleep when he arrives at the Institute. He decides to check out the training floor just in case, and he’s in luck – Isabelle is there, sparring with Clary.

Alec knows both of them well enough by now to tell that they’re sparring more for fun than for the purpose of serious training. It might not be immediately noticeable to an outsider, but every so often he notices one of them smirk slightly when they land a good hit, or flash each other proud, admiring glances when the other does something unexpected. Finally, Izzy manages to knock Clary flat onto her back. Clary grunts at the impact but still grins up at Izzy when she hovers her body over Clary’s.

“I thought you were a quick study?” Izzy murmurs, and Clary opens her mouth to respond, but Alec beats her to it.

“Please try to keep things PG until I leave,” he calls out.

“Then I suggest you leave right now,” Clary says cheerfully. Alec makes a big show of rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest, but Clary isn’t stupid and, unlike her ex-boyfriend, is capable of reading the room. She gives Isabelle a gentle nudge and Izzy instantly jumps to her feet, reaching down to pull Clary up too. Clary presses a quick kiss to Izzy’s cheek and then raises her eyebrows at Alec, as if silently asking him if that’s PG enough for him. He responds with the most unimpressed look he can muster, but she can see right through him and simply laughs and waves goodbye before skipping out of the room.

“You’re up early,” Alec says, once they’re alone.

Isabelle grabs a bottle of water from a nearby bench and takes several long sips before answering. “Clary and I both woke up early and decided to get in a workout before our shifts start.”

“A workout, huh,” he says dryly.

 She grins at him. “It could’ve been if you hadn’t walked in.”

 “Izzy, please, I’m happy for you two but I don’t want to hear –”

“Relax,” she laughs. “Now, I’m assuming you found me because you have something you want to talk about, so what’s up, hermano?”

“I have a favor I want to ask you,” he begins. “I want to surprise Magnus with something – something pretty big, but I can’t pull it off by myself.”

 She raises her eyebrows, clearly intrigued. “What kind of surprise?”

 “A marriage proposal.”

Isabelle nearly drops the water bottle.  “You’re going to ask Magnus to marry you?! Oh, Alec –” She sets the watter bottle back down on the bench and throws her arms around him. “I’m so happy for you,” she whispers into his neck.

He squeezes her back. “Thanks. Will you help me plan everything though? I need help picking out the ring, and deciding how to ask him, and –”

“Of course I’ll help you,” she says, pulling back and beaming at him. “When do you want to ask him?”

“This upcoming Thursday is the one-year anniversary of our first date,” he tells her.

 Isabelle grabs his hand and begins leading him in the direction of his office. “So what were you thinking? Something really simple and intimate or big and wild?”

 “Both,” Alec answers right away. “I’m just not sure where I should ask. What’s the consensus on public proposals?”

 Isabelle pushes open the door to his office and leads the way inside. “It depends. I personally say no unless you’ve discussed it before and you’re sure he’s ok with it.”

Alec frowns thoughtfully as he takes the seat behind his desk. “We’ve never talked about that in particular, but…I think he actually wouldn’t be a big fan of it. Magnus loves attention, but not for all things. Certain things he likes to keep private.”

“An intimate proposal does seem more Magnus’ style,” Isabelle agrees. Then she suddenly lights up. “Oooh, you know what you should do? You should take him out on a really great date. Find something for the two of you to do together that you know he’d love. Spoil him all night, make sure he’s having the time of his life, and then, take him home and propose.”

“That does sound good.” Alec turns on his laptop, his mind already spinning through possible ideas. “And I think I actually know of a place I can take Magnus…” He looks up at his sister. “Thanks Izzy. I knew I could count on you for this.”

“Anytime, big brother.” She walks around his desk and leans down to hug him again. “Have I already mentioned how proud I am of you?” she whispers. “This is everything I ever wanted for you. You deserve this.”

“Thanks,” he murmurs back, his voice a little raw. “And you know I’m happy for you too, right? You and Clary…”

 She pulls back to flash him a slightly teary-eyed smile. “The both of us really lucked out, huh?”

 He squeezes her hand. “We really did.”

“Well.” Izzy shakes her head, sending her ponytail bouncing, and takes a step back. “I should go shower and get some breakfast before my shift starts. Text me if you need help with anything else, ok? Maybe we could go ring shopping tonight.”

 “Are jewelry stores still open after 7 P.M.?” he asks doubtfully.

 “Alec, you’re proposing to Magnus next week! You can afford to leave work early a few days in a row in order to organize everything. In fact, I insist.”

 “Well then, I guess that leaves me no choice,” he says wryly.

 “You bet it doesn’t,” Isabelle replies, and marches out of his office without a backward glance. “I’ll come pick you up at 5:00!” she calls right before she disappears down the hallway.

 Alec shakes his head but there’s a grin on his face when he turns back to his laptop. 

 

                                               *****************

 

 “Do you have a lot of clients planned next Thursday?” Alec asks the following evening as he and Magnus curl up on the couch together.

 “What is that, the 21st?” Magnus asks, snapping his fingers and making his planner appear in his hand. “No, not really. I’m pretty busy on Wednesday so I planned an easy day on Thursday. I should be done by four o’clock.”

“Oh good,” Alec says, burrowing further into Magnus’ side.

“‘Oh good?’” Magnus echoes in amusement. He gently brushes Alec’s hair off his forehead. “Do you have plans for us?”

Alec lifts his head to stare at Magnus impassively. For a few seconds they both just stare at each other, silently daring the other to break. Magnus does first, dissolving into giggles and burying his head in Alec’s shoulder.

 He looks up at Alec a few seconds later. “You knew I didn’t actually forget our anniversary, right?” he checks.

 Alec smiles and shakes his head. “I knew you wouldn’t. I just got worried for a second there that you’d made plans that would clash with mine.”

“So you _did_ make plans or us,” Magnus teases, but it’s clear he’s excited. “Care to fill me in?”

“Nope. You’ll find out Thursday at 6:00 P.M.”

 “Alexander!” Magnus immediately protests. “You can’t just tease me like that. I need details.”

 “Looking forward to something can be exciting too,” says Alec primly.

Magnus huffs and smacks him on the shoulder, which leads to Alec pushing Magnus onto his back and climbing on top of him in order to gain access to his most ticklish spots, and that’s how they wind up spending the first fifteen minutes of their evening.

 

*********

 Alec can barely concentrate on his work on Thursday. Every few minutes he’ll reach into his desk drawer and pull out the rings Isabelle helped him pick out last week. He’ll examine them, tracing his fingers over the patterns engraved in them, fantasizing about the moment he’ll be able to kneel down in front of the love of his life and propose a life together (or an eternity together, if he has anything to say about it).

 Finally the moment arrives. Alec has just finished a teleconference with a werewolf pack in Queens when a portal appears next to his desk. He looks up and sees the love of his life standing in front of him.

 “Good evening, darling,” Magnus says, stepping forward and leaning down. Alec tips up his face to receive Magnus’ kiss and for several seconds they just breathe each other in. When the kiss ends, Magnus doesn’t pull back right away, instead staying in Alec’s space and nuzzling their noses together.

 “Happy anniversary,” Magnus murmurs.

 “Happy anniversary,” Alec whispers back. “I love you so much…”

 “And I love you.” Magnus presses a kiss to Alec’s forehead before straightening up. “How do I look? I wasn’t sure what to wear, since _someone_ wouldn’t tell me where we’re going. Surely by now you’re aware of how much I enjoy planning and coordinating my outfits, Alexander.”

 Alec takes Magnus in. He’s wearing tight, dark red pants, a black cashmere sweater, and a long, flowing red coat. His nails are painted the same shade of red, and his eyeshadow matches his sweater. He looks breathtaking, the most beautiful, perfect vision of lifelong happiness Alec has ever seen.

 “What you’re wearing is perfect,” Alec says, his voice soft despite how much it aches with quiet, desperate adoration. “Like always.”

Magnus’ face turns unbearably reverent in return, and Alec is sure they could have stayed there for the remainder of time, simply staring at each other, but Alec does have some sense left, and he finally manages to clear his throat and get to his feet. “Shall we?”

 “Let’s,” Magnus replies, taking Alec’s offered arm, and they step back into the portal.

 

********

“Where exactly are we?” Magnus asks as they walk up the front steps of the restaurant. Magnus had never been here before but luckily he’d been to another restaurant down the block, so they’d portaled there and then walked the rest of the way.

 “It’s this restaurant Izzy and I found on the Internet,” Alec explains. “We were looking for a restaurant that also offers…additional stuff.”

“Additional stuff?” Magnus repeats, his curiosity obviously piqued. “In what way?”

“You’ll see,” Alec says mysteriously.

Magnus mock glares at him, but looks around with interest when they step inside the foyer and up to the hostess stand. Alec speaks briefly with the hostess, who hands him a card with their table number printed on it before pointing the way to their seats. Alec is incredibly glad that the dining area is at a great enough distance from the foyer that Magnus won’t be able to glimpse anything until they actually arrive.

 When they step into the dining area and the dance floor comes into view, Magnus skids to a halt. “Alexander –?”

 Alec smiles at him and holds up the card he’s holding in his other hand. “Let me just put this down on our table and then we can go down there.”

 “I…” Magnus seems struck speechless.  He continues to gape as Alec places the card on their table, recovering only when Alec takes his hand again. “We’re going dancing?”

Alec smiles again. “Yes. And dinner afterward.”

Magnus looks out at the dance floor, where several couples are dancing together to a fast, upbeat song. Then he glances around them, where many other couples are eating dinner together. He exhales shakily. “Alec, I – this is –"

“Come on,” Alec says softly, leading Magnus onto the dance floor. The music changes just as they arrive, to a song with a much slower tempo. All of the surrounding couples are dancing in different styles – none of them are professionals, Alec is assuming, and are just here for fun. Some couples are simply swaying in place, while others are spinning and twirling each other around. Alec looks back at Magnus and smiles. “Do you want to lead or should I?”

 Magnus smiles back. “I don’t care. Just make sure you hold me close for every song.”

 “You got it.” He listens to the music for a few seconds, recognizes the style and the tempo, then pulls Magnus close and begins to dance.

 He’s rewarded a few seconds later with the astonished look on Magnus’ face. “Alexander, you…know how to dance. And well.”

“Izzy and I took dance lessons when we kids,” Alec reveals.

“And by ‘Izzy and I’, I’m assuming you mean that Izzy took lessons and dragged you along?” Magnus asks, grinning.

“I can see why you’d think that. I mean, I don’t really seem like the dancing type. But actually, we both took lessons. It was a long time ago, even before Jace came to live with us. We were going through a – rebellious phase, I guess you could say. We didn’t want to be Shadowhunters anymore and dancing was the most opposite thing we could think of. We bribed Hodge into taking us to lessons, and since our parents were away in Idris most of the time, we were able to get away with it for awhile.”

 “Why’d you stop?”

 “Our parents found out eventually and forced us to quit. They couldn’t see how dance lessons would help us become better Shadowhunters, so it was pointless to them. But I guess I retained some of it.” As he speaks, he suddenly spins Magnus outward, twirling him in a perfect circle before pulling him back into his embrace.

“Understatement,” Magnus breathes, staring at him with wide eyes. “Sorry about assuming earlier, but…forgive me, Alexander, you never seemed very enthusiastic whenever I mentioned doing this.”

“It wasn’t the dancing I was reluctant about, just doing it in public with other people around. But…I know this was important to you, and if it’s important to you, then it is for me too. Never doubt that.”

“Alexander…” Magnus suddenly leans forward and kisses him. Alec cups Magnus’ face in his hands and kisses him back deeply. “I love you,” Magnus tells him when they pull apart.

“I love you too,” Alec responds, tightening his grip on Magnus’ waist.

They dance for awhile longer, and nothing makes Alec happier than the look of pleasant surprise that appears on Magnus‘ face whenever Alec shows off just how much he knows about dancing. They switch who leads every few songs, moving expertly from style to style as the songs change. Every so often, Alec notices the other dancers watching them admiringly, and he can’t resist showing off a little in response. Magnus catches on almost instantly and does the same. _We’re both so competitive_ , Alec thinks, grinning, as Magnus dips him low to the ground.

Finally, after they’ve been dancing for over an hour, Alec suggests that they take a break and eat some dinner.

“So, can I count tonight as a success?” he asks as they wait for their food to arrive.

“Very successful. You will definitely be getting rewarded for this later,” Magnus all but purrs.

Alec suddenly feels hot all over. He shifts in his seat, wondering if there’ll ever be a day when he doesn’t react so strongly to Magnus’ flirting. He hopes not though.

“That’s not why I did this,” he says. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely...looking forward…to that. But the main reason I did this is because I knew it would make you happy. And making you happy makes me happy, so…I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our anniversary than that.”

“Oh, Alec,” Magnus says, “Simply being with you makes me happy.”

 Alec flushes again. “Oh, um. Me too.” Not his most eloquent response ever, but he’s finding it difficult to concentrate under the force of Magnus‘ gaze.

 Magnus, as if knowing exactly what Alec is thinking, just beams at him.

 When they finish their dinner, Alec suggests going back to the dance floor, but Magnus shakes his head. “I want to go straight home and continue celebrating our anniversary. In a way that involves less clothes, to be frank.”

 Alec can’t think of anything eloquent to say to that either, so he just stutters out a shaky, “Ok.”    

They head outside and Magnus immediately summons a portal to take them back to the loft. The second they’ve stepped through, Magnus reaches for him and begins kissing him hungrily. Alec responds immediately, because Magnus is irresistible and he feels incredible and –

“Couch or bedroom?” Magnus pants against his mouth.

 “Bedroom,” Alec replies automatically, but then he remembers and pulls away. “But, uh, wait. Dance with me first?”

Magnus looks slightly surprised, but he still smiles and snaps his fingers. Music begins playing gently in the background, and Alec pulls Magnus close, linking their hands together and tucking his face into the crook of Magnus’ neck.

“I still can’t believe you never told me you can dance,” Magnus says as they sway gently in place. “Now that I know, I’m going to make you dance with me every night.”

“Deal,” Alec replies, thrilled at having an excuse to have Magnus close all the time. Not that he needs an excuse, but still. The more opportunities he has to be pressed up against his boyfriend, the better.

When the song currently playing ends and the next one begins, Alec gently pushes Magnus down onto the couch, explaining, “I need to ask you something.” And then, before Magnus can reply to that, he kneels in front of him.

Magnus smirks. “You know you don’t need to ask my permission for _that_. Unless you want to ask for permission – which I know we’ve never discussed before, but I’m certainly open to discussing it…”

Alec ignores the rush of heat that courses through him at what Magnus is implying and focuses on pulling the ring box out of his pocket. As soon as he sees it, Magnus’ mouth snaps shut and he goes still. Alec has never seen Magnus quite this still before – Magnus is almost always moving in some way, even if it’s just his shoulders shimmying while he talks. But Magnus seems absolutely frozen now.

Alec waits a beat to see if Magnus will say something, but when Magnus still doesn’t reply, Alec takes a deep, calming breath and begins reciting the vows that ran through his head for hours last night while Magnus slept obliviously next to him.

“Magnus, the year I’ve known you have been the best of my entire life. Before you, I wasn’t living, I was just – existing. My life before you was hollow and – and empty, and I had sunk so low I couldn’t even recognize how bad it was. But then – you. I met you, and you were so beautiful and wonderful that I -“ He has to stop, briefly, to swallow down the lump forming in his throat. He coughs to clear it before continuing. "You gave me the strength and the courage to stand up for myself, to accept myself and really begin living. You gave me that. And you continue giving me that every single day. Every day that I’m with you, I feel so safe and so loved. Every morning I get to wake up with you, every night I get to fall asleep wtih you by my side….every time I hear your laugh, or see a smile on that beautiful face…every time your voice says my name, I just know, I _know_ , that this is what real happiness is. And I know just as surely that I’m never going to stop craving that, that I’m never gonna stop giving my all to make you feel just as happy and as loved as I feel when I’m with you, so…Magnus. Will you marry me?"

Magnus releases a shuddering breath. At the same time, a few tears roll down his cheek. He opens his mouth a few times and then closes it again, before he finally seems to regain his voice, to speak the most beautiful words Alec has ever heard in his life:

“Yes,” Magnus says. “Yes, Alexander Lightwood, I’ll marry you.”

Alec releases his breath shakily. “Yeah?” he checks, wanting, needing to hear it again.

“Yes,” Magnus repeats, smilng widely. “Yes, I want to marry you.”

Alec beams back at him and attempts to open the ring box, but his hands are shaking so badly he can scarcely manage it. Finally he gets it open and pulls out the ring. Magnus extends his hand and Alec slides the ring on. Once it’s on, he can’t stop staring. Magnus is wearing an engagement ring, a ring that Alec got for him, because they’re engaged. Magnus is his fiance now. They’re going to get married, and then Magnus will be his _husband_. Oh god.

“It’s beautiful,” says Magnus softly, his fingers tracing over the symbols embedded in the band.

“I picked that one because the symbols are all connected. See? There’s not a single point where they’re not touching. Which is how I see us. We’re bound. We always find our way back to each other.”

The tender expression on Magnus’ face is so raw, so intense that Alec can barely stand it. It’s moments like this that make him wonder what’s done to deserve being the focus of so much love, especially from someone like Magnus. He’s shaking with it, can’t stop trembling –

“Did you pick a ring for yourself too?” Magnus whispers, like he’s sensed what Alec is feeling and doesn’t want to break the spell.

Alec nods and pulls the second ring out of the box. He’s about to slip it on his own finger when Magnus catches his wrist and breathes, “Please, let me.”

Alec holds out his hand, expecting Magnus to simply slide the ring on and be done with it, but Magnus surprises him.

First Magnus examines the ring, tracing his finger over the thin black stripe that runs over the entire band. Alec had picked it because he’d been struck by the circle and what it represented – something eternal, neverending, which is exactly how he feels about Magnus. When Magnus looks up at him with that tender expression again, Alec knows he gets it.

“Alexander….” Magnus murmurs. "The year I’ve known you has been the best of my life as well, which is saying something. I’ve loved before, I’ve been happy before…but there is no comparison to the way I feel with you. You’re beautiful and generous and compassionate. You make me laugh, you make me feel cherished. When I’m with you, I know this is why. This is why I’ve been alive for nearly four centuries. It was so I could meet you, so I could love you. I was meant for you, and as long as I live, there will never be anyone, past, present, or future, who I will love more wholly or consumingly as I love you. You’re it for me, forever. So, Alexander Lightwood, will you marry me?”

Alec has proposed twice in the past twelve months, but somehow, he’d never imagined himself being proposed to. It was simply something he’d told himself he’d never have and shouldn’t even allow himself to want. But now Magnus is offering it to him, and that was just what Magnus always did, wasn’t it? Magnus was always giving Alec the things he’d craved the most and never thought he’d be lucky enough to actually possess. Alec stares up at Magnus and wonders how it‘s possible to be this incandescently happy without exploding.

“Yes,” he chokes out, amazed that he‘s even capable of speaking at all at this point.

Magnus laughs, sounding deliriously happy himself, and slides the ring onto Alec’s finger. The second it‘s in place, Alec is jumping to his feet and practically throwing himself into Magnus‘ lap. “Yes,” he breathes again, before leaning in and kissing Magnus, once, twice, three times. “Yes,” he murmurs when he pulls back slightly. He leans back in and kisses Magnus again, more deeply this time. “Yes,” he says breathlessly when they part. “Yes –“ Kiss. “Yes –“ Another kiss. “Yes…” Another. “Yes, yes, yes, yes…”

Magnus laughs again, staring up at Alec like he can’t believe he’s real. He reaches up to cup Alec’s face in his hands, and when he does, Alec can feel the ring brushing against his cheek. Tears forming in his eyes, Alec reaches out and caresses Magnus‘ face with his knuckles, so that his ring slides across Magnus‘ cheek with every movement.

“I love you,” Magnus whispers.

“I love you too,” Alec replies instantly. Magnus is going to be his husband. His _husband_. Overwhelmed, Alec kisses him again, and it’s not long before the kisses transform into something heated and passionate.

Magnus suddenly breaks away and grins at Alec in a way that makes all Alec’s blood immediately rush south. “So, I’ve never been engaged before, so I don’t have any personal experience with this,” Magnus says, “but I’ve heard that just-got-engaged sex is supposed to be pretty incredible.”

Alec is about to point out that every time they have sex is pretty incredible, even the first couple of times when Alec had no idea what he was doing (although Magnus managed to salvage those times and make them mindblowing anyway), but then he remembers the observation he’d made earlier that night at the dance hall, about how competitive he and Magnus both are, and feels a grin of his own forming on his lips. He climbs to his feet and takes a few steps backward, enjoying the way Magnus’ gaze immediately zooms in on him, following his every movement. He looks Magnus right in the eye and says as deliberately as he can, “Prove it.”

Magnus’ eyes light up. He jumps to his feet and gives Alec a look that literally makes his knees weak. “I will,” he promises.

And he does.

********

 

When Alec wakes up the next morning, it’s still dark out, which means it must be pretty early. He checks his phone and sees that he has a text from Izzy. When he sees the time, he realizes with a start that he forgot to set his alarm last night – but then he reads the message from his sister and decides it doesn’t matter.

 

 **Isabelle (6:30 A.M.)** _Don’t even THINK about coming to the Institute before 10:00. I’ve already cleared your morning schedule so you can stay home with Magnus._

 **Isabelle (6:31 A.M.)** _How it’d go btw???_

 

Alec smiles to himself, feeling both amused by and incredibly grateful for his sister. Instead of typing out a full response, he simply turns toward Magnus, who is still asleep beside him, and angles his phone so that it captures nothing but Magnus’ hand, which is resting on the pillow beside him, with the ring on full display. He attaches the photo with a simple caption: _It went really well :)_

Isabelle’s next text is a long string of smiling and dancing emojis, followed by several hearts and other related images. The second text reads: _That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you, big brother._

Alec looks down at Magnus again, who is, even in sleep, the single most beautiful person he’s ever laid eyes on. Yeah, he thinks, as he sets his phone aside and curls up next to Magnus again, he’s feeling pretty happy for himself as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Here are the rings I imagined:
> 
> Alec: http://ipunya.com/silver-wedding-rings-for-men-precious-and-affordable/silver-wedding-rings-for-men-with-a-black-central-stripe/
> 
> Magnus: https://www.elmajewellery.co.uk/35mm-9ct-white-gold-swirl-patterned-wedding-ring-band-p-1191.html


End file.
